The Gilmer High Lady Cats closed out their soccer season with a region victory.
GHS was on the road last Friday in Dawson, and the hometown Tigers were on the defensive for much of the match. Gilmer garnered a one-goal lead at the break, and Cats’ persistence paid off in the second half as they added two more goals for a 4-1 win.
“I thought the girls were really slow to get started. We got to Dawson really early, and they started the game very unfocused, which allowed Dawson to score very quickly,” GHS head coach April Nicholson said. “I thought they played a very solid second ‘quarter’ and a very good second half with our girls on the attack most of the second half. Seniors Naomi Coombs and Olivia Lykins had a great game.”
GHS made some threatening runs in the opening 10 minutes, but much of the game was played in the midfield. While the Tigers’ offense was mostly pedestrian, they did score the game’s first goal in the 13th minute.
Following a throw-in, an open shot from the right was placed into the left side of the net for a 1-0 DCHS edge.
Naomi Coombs had Gilmer’s first clear and threatening shot from 11 yards away at the midpoint of the half, but it was saved. An ensuing shot by teammate Reagan Boling from similar range was saved moments later.
With 13:40 left on the clock, Dawson was called for a handball in the box. Lady Cat Olivia Lykins made her first of three goals from the penalty spot to even the score.
Coombs, Lykins and Boling continued to spearhead Gilmer’s attack and their efforts paid off. With 50 seconds left in the half, a Coombs’ cross found Lykins for a tap in at the far post.
GHS continued to press forward and kept pressure on the Tigers’ back line and goalkeeper for the final 40 minutes of play. Lady Cat Ashley Spagnola soon joined the action and unleashed shots on goal.
The Cats’ ninth shot of the second half found the back of the net. Lykins blasted the shot from 20 yards out and inside the near post for a 3-1 advantage with 11:56 to play.
Three of Gilmer’s next shots were saved while another was wide. The Cats tallied their final goal with 1:20 left in the game. Helana Garland laid off a pass to Coombs inside the box, and she pelted a 9-yard shot into the goal.
“The beginning of the season was rough. With COVID still a very real danger, none of us knew what to expect as far as how our season would be interrupted,” Nicholson said. “There were a lot of unknowns and uncertainties that we didn’t know how to prepare for. No matter what happened, these girls played their hearts out and were incredibly resilient.
“Aside from 2020 when spring sports were canceled, we had been on a solid playoff run. We’re very disappointed not to qualify this season, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. We fell one game short in the end. I know CCMS coach Adam Palmer has done a great job preparing his team, and I look forward to seeing the upcoming group of eighth graders.”
GHS defeated Murray County 8-0 three days earlier for its home finale. Gilmer posted a 6-5-1 overall record, and the Cats were 2-4 against region opponents and finished fifth in the standings.